49. Read-off Competition

2012 "Read-Off" Competition

This year I am running a competition, a "read-off" that is measured by page count. Each week participants will message me or text me or email me their page count for the week of what they've read and I'll keep a running total on my other blog in a post each week. Pages from books (fiction, nonfiction and textbooks) and articles (magazines and scholarly) can be counted in the page count. If you use an Ereader you can look up page counts on Amazon or Goodreads. The reader who has read the most pages by the end of the year will win a prize (I haven't figured out what the prize is yet). Leave a comment if you want to join! I will also need some other contact info such as an email address, Twitter name or Facebook info so that I can get your page counts each week. Happy reading readers!

--d'Artagnan

48. "Narcissistic Lovers" by Cynthia Zayn and Kevin Dibble

Zayn, Cynthia and Dibble, Kevin. Narcissistic Lovers: How to Cope, Recover and Move On. New Horizon Press, 2007. Ebook

224 pages

Reviewed by J. d’Artagnan Love

Narcissistic Lovers explains what Narcissistic Personality Disorder is and provides examples of narcissistic relationships. Narcissistic Personality Disorder is different from common uses of the term "narcissism." It is a pervasive, destructive disorder that is often at the root of abuse Each chapter of this book describes a different aspect of Narcissistic Personality Disorder and provides real-life examples.

One of this book’s strengths is its accessibility. Readers involved with a narcissistic relationship will easily be able to recognize the red flags in the scenarios provided in this book. Narcissistic Lovers is clear, and easy to understand which makes it very accessible. Sometimes books about personality disorders can become mired in psychology research and fail to explain things in a way that is easy for most people without psychology degrees to understand. This is not one of those books. The writers use solid psychological research but they explain the research in a way that is easy to comprehend.

Along with explaining what narcissism is and providing examples of narcissistic relationships, the book offers help to those who are stuck in one of these relationships. It is no replacement for psychotherapy or work with a mental health professional but it does offer a victim of narcissism some breathing room—a chance to step back and say “Ok, I get it now.”

5 darts out of 5
Bookshelf project status: KEEP

47. "Chosen by a Horse" by Susan Richards

Richards, Susan. Chosen by a Horse. Orlando: Harcourt, Inc., 2006.

Chosen by a Horse is a moving memoir about Susan, a heartbroken woman in her forties, and the bold move she makes to adopt a horse with a past full of despair, abuse and neglect. Susan is woken up late one night by a call from the local SPCA in need of individuals to adopt forty or more horses from a Standardbred farm. Susan takes in Lay Me Down, a famished broodmare and her young foal. The foal and her mother are separated leaving Susan to care for Lay Me Down who was lame, very sick, and malnourished.

Equally malnourished was Susan’s own emotional health and spirit. In nursing back this gentle and trusting horse, Susan learns to love and trust herself. This new love of self leads her to make more courageous choices ranging from buying new lingerie, to sticking with Lay Me Down through her illness.

This is one of those books that is difficult to put down once you start reading. It is a little disjointed in terms of the timeline which was confusing, but the richness of story made it easy to let this flaw slide. Richards does an excellent job of defining terms for people unfamiliar with the horse world. She is able to draw readers in and profoundly illustrates how her relationship with Lay Me Down mirrors her past allowing her to heal and move on. We can all learn something from her relationship with this magnificent horse.

This is a must read for any horse lover, though I have to warn you: buy a box of tissues before reading—you’ll need them.

4 darts out of 5
Bookshelf Project Status: N/A (borrowed book from a friend)

46. "The Healer" by Sharon Sala

Sala, Sharon. The Healer. Ontario: Mira, 2008.

Reviewed by J. d'Artagnan Love

I have to be honest. I didn't even finish this book. I read about half of it.

The plot was not terrible but not all that original either. Sala essentializes Native Americans as natural "healers" and switches between points of view rather confusingly. The narration is bland and unconvincing.

I just didn't feel it was worth finishing this drivel. I don't recommend it. I give it one star simply for its entertainment value. It was better than sitting in waiting rooms doing nothing.

1 dart out of 5
Bookshelf Project Status: donated

45. "Deep Storm" by Lincoln N Child

Child, Lincoln N. Deep Storm. New York: Anchor Books, 2007.

Deep Storm is about an underwater excavation team. The team works in a submersed facility near the earth’s core excavating what they claim to be the lost city of Atlantis. Dr. Peter Crane, a former naval officer in the U.S. military, is asked to come aboard the facility to treat an unexplainable and untreatable disease infecting the workers. What Crane learns is that the team has not been completely frank about their mission.

Deep Storm would make an amazing action movie. It is suspenseful and fast-paced. The narrative style is simplistic and to-the-point and each chapter ends with that leave-you-hanging vibe that makes the book hard to put down. I read it everywhere: at home, at Midas getting my car’s oil changed, waiting for my chiropractic appointment, at restaurants before my food arrived—yeah, it’s that kind of book.

This was my first dabble into the realm of science fiction. I appreciated the complexity of the plot, but the techno-jargon was a little too much for me at times. In all, this novel is worth checking out if you dig technology, suspense, action, and a hint of science fiction.

3 darts out of 5.
Bookshelf Project Status: Donate

44. "The Complete Shorter Fiction of Virginia Woolf" edited by Susan Dick

Dick, Susan, Ed. The Complete Shorter Fiction of Virginia Woolf. San Diego: Harcourt Brace & Co., 1989. Print.

The more I read work by Virginia Woolf, the more I recognize Buddhist themes. The following is from her short story “The Journal of Mistress Joan Martyn,”: “And my brain that was swift and merry at first and leapt like a child at play, settled down in time to sober work upon the highway, though it was glad withal. For I thought of the serious things of life—such as age, and poverty, sickness and death, and considered that it would certainly be my lot to meet them; and I considered also those joys and sorrows that were for ever chasing themselves across my life” (58).

Here one can connect to the story of the Siddhartha Guatma (the Buddha) when he begins his journey and sees a sick man, a poor man, and a dying man. One can also connect her “merry and swift” mind to the monkey mind that, upon meditation, is settled and able to focus.

What I loved about this collection of Woolf's short fiction is that it is organized in chronological order. While reading, you are able to see how her writing evolves and it is sooooo fascinating. She wrote several short stories about characters from one of her seminal texts, Mrs. Dalloway, including such stories as "Mrs. Dalloway in Bond Street," "The New Dress," and "The Man Who Loved his Kind."

Some of my favorite stories from the collection include "Phyllis and Rosamond," "The Journal of Mistress Joan Martyn," "The Mark on the Wall, and" "The Widow and the Parrot: A True Story." If you are a fan of Virginia Woolf, I highly recommend this collection of short fiction.

4 darts out of 5

Bookshelf Project Status: KEEP

43. "House of Sand and Fog" by Andre Dubus III

Dubus III, Andre. House of Sand and Fog. New York: Vintage Books, 1999. Print.

365 pages

Reviewed by J. d'Artagnan Love

House of Sand and Fog is about an intense battle over ownership of a seaside California bungalow. Kathy Nicolo, the original owner, loses the home after a tax error by the county. Mr. Behrani, a former colonel in the Iranian air force, buys the house at an auction for a third of its value.

The Behrani family is exiled in the U.S. after the fall of the Iranian government and they are in a dire financial situation. Unable to find a job and feeling pressure to keep up royal appearances, Mr. Behrani plans to sell the bungalow and start a business in real estate as a means of keeping his family off the street. The battle that ensues between the Behrani family and Kathy escalates to a chilling climax.

This novel is great study on how even the smallest of decisions (throwing away unopened mail in Kathy’s case) can cause a person’s entire life to unravel. It is that small tug on the loose thread and suddenly, it all comes undone.

Something I really appreciate about Dubus’ writing is his vivid description. It isn’t just vivid, but it is real. He describes things in a way that makes sense, and it really feels like you are right there in the story.

“I looked out the window to see where we were and my own candlelit reflection looked back. On the other side was night and all the lights of San Francisco spread out below. I drank the rest of the wine from my glass and I couldn’t remember the last time I felt so free of all the shit that pulled at me like the gravity of two planets. I was feeling some of the wine, but not much. I’d eaten half of my baked potato and chicken. I looked back at Les and I could see he’d been staring at me” (Dubus, 116).

Another talent Dubus illustrates is the ability to shift voices. The narration moves between Kathy and Mr. Behrani and is told in first person point of view. There is a distinct difference between Kathy’s voice and Behrani’s voice and the difference in voice is intricately connected to differences in culture. This aspect of the novel is absolutely brilliant.

I am planning to read a lot more of this writer’s work and I highly recommend House of Sand and Fog.

4.5 darts out of 5
Bookshelf project status: KEEP